Through the Looking Glass
by RemyHunkules
Summary: Veers off of canon from the moment Emma goes through the hat. Regina uses her mirrors to bring Emma and Snow home. T for now, may go up to M.
1. Chapter 1

SPOILER ALERT. This story contains immediate references to the latest episode.

"Emma… No! Emma!" Regina stumbled towards the hat and gripped the edges, peering inside as if she'd see a miniature blonde Sheriff. "No…" She sobbed. She sat back against the wall and brought her knees up, clutching the hat to her chest. James watched her curiously as tears poured freely from her eyes. Regina Mills had never let herself go like this - not with company, that is.

Ruby walked Henry into the room. "Mom…?" He asked as he looked at his adoptive mother, slouched on the ground. "Are you alright?" He stepped right over to her and crouched down in front of her.

She shook her head and clutched the hat closer, as if holding it closer to her heart would bring Emma back. Henry sat down next to Regina and looked up at her just as she looked down at him. He could see the pain in her eyes.

"Wh… Why are you sad?" Henry asked. He'd never, not once, seen his mother so upset.

"Emma and Snow fell through the hat. Through the portal to the other world." She croaked.

"Then why aren't you happy? You hate them both." Regina shook her head frantically.

"I don't hate Emma. I can't hate her." She let out a short sob. "Everything I love always gets taken from me." She closed her eyes and hung her head, resting it on the hat.

Henry regarded her for a moment, thinking over what his mother had just said. He then reached out and put his hand over hers, in a silent gesture that meant more to his mother than any of his words could. A gesture that told Regina that he'd understood what she meant.

Regina leant over, her head resting on his.

After a few moments of just sitting like this, Regina's head shot up and she sat up straight. "The mirrors…" She whispered. "The mirrors!" She spoke up. Henry, James and Red all turned to look at her. "If they're in our old world, and there's any reflective surface around, we should be able to contact them!"

Henry looked up at her with hope in his eyes as they stood up. "James, does Snow carry a compact mirror?" Regina asked, ready to let the hope fall.

"Yes. She always has one in her pocket."

That was when they saw it. Regina's face broke out in a huge smile, the only nice smile Red and James had ever seen, and the only truly happy smile Henry had ever seen from her.

The Mayor ran from the room and headed straight to her office, comically skidding at a hallway corner. She stopped right in front of her mirror, pushing the small table in front of it away just to get closer. She pressed her right hand against the cold glass, her left still clutching the hat. Her eyes closed as she whispered "Emma… please…"

As she opened her eyes, the image of herself was no longer there. Instead it was just blackness - the mirror was in Snow's pocket, for sure. All four of them started shouting, calling out the names of the two lost friends. They heard fabric rustling, some fumbling, and then there was light. Snow's face appeared.

"Oh my god…" She whispered.

"What, what is it?" Emma's voice came from next to her as she leaned over.

"Oh! You're okay!" The happy, excited tone of the Mayor threw both women off guard for a moment.

"Regina, what are you doing in my compact?"

"I figured if you're in our old world, I could contact you through the mirrors, through any reflective surface. Whatever you do, do not let your compact break. This is your only link between worlds - for now."

"For now?" Emma asked. "What do you mean 'for now'?"

"I mean that I'm going to guide you across the lands, to Jefferson's home, and bring you back."

"But I thought everyone wanted to come back here? Why not just send everyone through _your_ hat portal?"

"Because that land is barren now, we could never bring it back up to the thriving forest it once was. And besides, not _everyone_ wanted to go back."

"You've got a point. I don't exactly want to be here." Regina watched as Emma looked around in slight disgust. "Anyway, Snow says that this is where she got married, if that's any use in plotting our location."

"It is." Regina nodded. "I'm going to draw up a map. Since that is one of the few places that was deliberately spared, there should be some food around somewhere - just don't leave the place."

"Food? But… won't it be all… you know. Eurgh?"

"No. The magic that kept the meats and vegetables preserved should still be in tact. If it's not, just eat your mother." Regina joked. Regina…_ joked_. For the first time in a long long time, _Regina joked._

Needless to say… no one really knew how to take it.

Okay, so, I think this is going to be the first in a line of chapters. I got this idea when I was in bed last night, after the premiere. Please, reblog, like, comment, etc. I'm still in the process of thinking up a full plot, a full storyline, but I have a few things in mind so far.

I do have a lot more in my head that I could have added to this chapter, but I feel like it was right to stop right there, on that note. You can just imagine everyone's faces falling and Regina looking around in confusion and saying quietly "I was joking…" And then everyone looks at her funny for making a joke.


	2. Chapter 2

"There has to be something in here! Somewhere!" Regina shouted.

"Mom, please calm down. Please." Henry rushed over to his mother, standing angrily in the centre of her home study, open books whizzing around the room. He wrapped his arms around her and the books stopped, then all fell to the floor. Henry led her to one of the sofas and they sat down together.

She ran her fingers through his hair as she held him against her. "I'm sorry you had to see that, sweetie."

"It's okay. I know you're just trying to bring Emma back."

"I can't find anything that could help Emma work the hat without magic."

"Maybe if they just found a magic item? Isn't that what you had to do to get the apple with the sleeping curse?"

"You're right... But I can't think I anything there could be, unless they change course to my castle..."

"What about Snow's compact? You're talking to them through it, it must be magical."

Regina shook her head. "No. I can just contact any mirror. They'll need to go to my castle." She spent the next ten minutes editing her copy of the map to show directions to her old fortress, then stood and left the room. She made her way to the mirror in the hallway. "Emma?" The blonde appeared just moment after she called.

"Hey." She smiled. "S'good to see you."

"You too. Safe?" Emma nodded. "Listen, you two need to take a detour. You have to go to my castle to get something magic, something to work the hat with."

"What's the something?" Snow asked curiously.

"You'll just have to see when you get there. Emma, once you set foot inside the castle it will come to life. My guards and soldiers and staff will all reanimate. Have them fit you with some armour and a weapon. Snow... I can see you already picked up your old hunting clothes." She held the modified map up. "Copy this."

~two days later, in the evening~

"I think I should go first. Regina specifically said that to me, so..." Emma tentatively stepped forward, through the enormous wrought iron gates that hadn't even rusted. Regina's castle was intimidating, Emma would admit.

"Who goes there?" A voice bellowed from above.

"Emma Swan. I am here on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen."

"What business do you have in this castle?" The voice spoke again.

"I am here to collect any item of magical ability, and change my clothes. You can speak to your Queen, if you need to."

"Very well. Show me her."

Emma pulled out the small mirror and tapped it a few times to garner attention. Regina's face appeared, rubbing her eyes. "Is something wrong, Emma?"

"Show her to me!" Regina looked awakened at the sound of the deep voice.

Emma turned the mirror to show the castle. She didn't know exactly who she was talking to, but god forbid she upset them.

"Cesario, let them pass. They are here for me. Emma has all authority over this castle whilst they are in this land. Once you sense them leave, you will remain dormant again." Emma closed the mirror and put it away.

There was hesitant silence and then the voice spoke again. "Very well. You may enter." The gates opened wider, not a creak to be heard, and Snow stepped forward.

"Emma... Regina just put you in charge of her whole castle."

"Yeah... She must trust me a lot."

A young woman in a flowing black dress was rushing towards them just as they started up the pathway. "And what are your titles?" Her voice was light and airy - not the kind of woman you'd expect to be in Regina's castle.

"I'm Princess Snow White and this is my daughter, Emma Swan." Emma waved a little.

The young woman bowed to only Emma. "Your majesty, I am Charlotte. I understand that you control us for the time being. Please, how can we serve you?"

"Well, uh, Regina said you'd be able to fit me for some sort of armour and a weapon. I'm guessing just, like, leathers and stuff. Something I can sleep in while we travel."

Charlotte nodded. "That can be arranged. Anything else?" They stepped into the castle, which was bustling with servants. Emma thought she smelled cooking beef...

"I smell food." She said dumbly.

"We are preparing a large meal. We understand that you have been travelling for days."

"Oh, thanks very much."

"You do not need to thank us, ma'am." Charlotte looked down at her feet in a gesture of submission.

"And you don't need to call me ma'am. It's just Emma. No titles. Emma."

"Very well ma'am - Emma." She led them to a small dining hall where they were seated as food was laid out on the table. They ate until they couldn't take any more.

"Your majesties, chambers have been prepared for your rest this evening." Snow smiled gratefully at the woman as she led them to two bedrooms. "Please, do not hesitate to ask the guards outside should you need anything." She was gone with a swish of her skirt as two leathered men came, moving to stand on one side of each chamber door.

* * *

"Emma, wake up, Regina's on the phone for you. I mean mirror."

Emma groaned and sat up, sheets falling to her waist and revealing her white bra as she took the mirror. Regina didn't even bother to ask her to cover up, she merely smirked.

"You're in safe, then? Have you been fed?"

"Yes, they fed us last night. No, I'm not hurt. Yes, they're fitting the armour today and no we haven't found a magical object yet." Emma smirked, answering all of Regina's unasked questions in one go.

"Very well then. Just, don't get too comfortable. Ask someone to take you to my bedchambers, there'll be plenty of items in there."

"Listen, Regina, it's still really early here, so I'm gonna snoop in your bedroom later. Right now, I want to get some well deserved sleep."

"Well while you're there, you may as well be trained in horseriding. Take a few lessons and then take a couple of horses so you don't have to complete your journey on foot."

"Thank you. Talk later. Tell Henry I love him and I'll be home soon." The tired blonde closed the mirror abruptly and then flopped down onto the incredibly soft bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Okay, h****ope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was sort of a bit of filler to get them to Regina's castle. Don't worry, though. Something interesting is going to happen next chapter. **

**Also, just as a note, I see Charlotte as Selena Gomez. Just a point of reference for you. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Regina, I'm in your bedroom. Is it weird that the sheets are still rumpled?"

"I would prefer if this conversation wasn't had with me staring at your ear, Miss Swan. This mirror is not a cell phone."

"Oh, right, sorry." Emma blushed, embarrassed and brought the mirror down from the side of her face. "Now… What am I looking for?"

Regina flicked disinterestedly through a spell book that was sitting on her lap. "Just keep rooting and if you feel that something has magic, show it to me. Where's your mother, by the way? I thought she'd jump at the chance to root through my personal belongings."

"She thought it'd be rude. You know, I think she's a little offended that you trust me in here and not her." Emma started rooting through a large chest of drawers, setting the compact down on the top.

"Just because I raised her from child to teen does not mean that I can trust her. I know I can trust you, because you want to get back to Henry."

"It's not just Henry I want to get back to." Emma muttered. If she'd have been any further away, Regina might not have heard her.

"Who else do you have, Emma? Other than your father of course. Unless you and the wolf are a closer than I'd anticipated." Regina couldn't help a pang of jealousy at the thought.

"Me and Ruby? God, no. She's just a close friend, I don't like her that way."

"But you do like _someone_ that way, that much is obvious."

Emma's face appeared in the mirror on the coffee table in front of Regina. "Are we seriously talking about who I have a crush on right now? I feel like I'm back in high school."

Regina rolled her eyes. "If you're going to end up dating someone when you get back here, I have to approve of them. I don't want Henry having a bad role model as a step-father or third mother."

"If I started dating someone, he _definitely_ wouldn't have a step-father, nor would they be his _third_ mother."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're getting at, Miss Swan." Regina raised an eyebrow. Emma just smirked and disappeared again.

"There's a mirror… I know you have a thing for mirrors so…"

"Show me." Emma held it in view at Regina's request – the mirror Sidney had given her. "It could work… Set it aside for later." She turned the page and froze. "We have a problem."

Emma's head came into view once more. "What is it?"

"As I already know, however many go through the hat have to come back. I didn't think it would matter because the wraith is something that's already dead… But it counts. The wraith counts. Three of you went through, three have to come back."

"But we don't have a third person…" Emma looked horrified.

"You're going to have to find one. And before you think about it, don't bother picking one of my servants. They'd murder me the moment they saw me."

"What about Charlotte? She seems nice enough. She's like sixteen."

"Charlotte? Who's Charlotte?" The pair shared confused looks through panes of glass.

"She's sixteen… really long black wavy hair, brown eyes, high cheekbones… Come to think of it, she looks like you. She seems to be running things around here when it comes to controlling the guards and staff."

"I've never had a maid named Charlotte, or a maid under eighteen. Ever. I refuse to hire anyone underage."

"Then… who is she?"

"I think it's time you found out."

* * *

"We gotta talk, 'Charlotte'."

"Of course, Miss Swan. What do we need to talk about?"

Emma gestured for the girl to have a seat. She couldn't help but feel that there was something about this girl that she recognised.

"I spoke to Regina."

"My Queen?"

"Yes. You came up in conversation and… She says she's never had a servant with your name. You're, what, sixteen?" The girl nodded. "See, now, Regina's also never had a servant under eighteen. Regina remembers the name and age of every servant that she left behind twenty eight years ago. You're not one of them. That leaves us with a problem."

"I know. We have been frozen, therefore none of the servants could conceive or give birth and the child couldn't grow. I was sixteen when we were frozen. I am sixteen now."

"But you seem to run everything around here."

"It is true that I assumed authority, yes."

"Why would you assume authority if you're so young? Surely there's someone else around here that has more right to that authority than you."

"Yes, my nanny. She raised me in this castle, because my mother couldn't. My nanny told me to take responsibility. She's terribly old and frail."

"Who is your mother?"

"I don't know. I never knew her. Nanny told me she died during my birth. All I have left of her is the ribbon she tied in her hair…" Charlotte's hand came up to the end of her ponytail, where a tattered purple ribbon was wrapped around the end. Emma sighed. She knew how this felt. Not knowing your real mother.

"What about your father?" Emma took a seat next to the girl.

"I never knew him. Nanny said he died too."

"Could I meet this nanny of yours?"

"I will ask her if she feels well enough to have visitors."

* * *

"Regina, she says she grew up here. Her nanny raised her."

"Her nanny?" The Mayor asked incredulously. "Let me speak to her."

"We're just on our way. Charlotte says that this Nanny told her that her father died, and her mother died in childbirth."

On Regina's end of the mirror, something happened. Her hand went to her lower abdomen. A look of sudden sadness covered her usually stoic features. "Regina? You okay?" Emma stopped walking, staring intently at the other woman.

"I had a child once. She died, not long after she was born. She looked so _healthy_. But she died… I wasn't even given a chance to mourn her."

"Who's was she?"

"She was the child of a man I later murdered. He was not my husband, he was not my love. He was a terrible man who was part of the court."

"God, Regina. I'm so sorry."

Regina's mask was suddenly replaced. "Just go talk to the damn nanny."

"Mother Jane!" The brunette exclaimed, looking at the frail old women through the mirror. Regina had spent the day so far in front of this mirror, her eyes on Emma and the things she was showing her. As much as she really did love her mansion, she couldn't help but miss her castle.

"My sweet little Regina… I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Regina tilted her head.

"Your mother… she made us lie to you. She threatened us all."

"About what?" Regina leant closer to the mirror in an effort to get closer to the woman who had raised her in place of her birth mother.

"About your little girl, my sweet. About your child."

"What did she make you say? What did that bitch have you say to me?"

"Your daughter is alive."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN. I bet you can guess though I kind of made it really obvious oopsy daisy.**

**I'll try and update again as soon as I can though, guys :D**


	4. Chapter 4

"My Hadria is alive?" Regina said after a few moments of silence.

The frail old woman nodded as she lay in her bed. "I raised her from a child. Your mother, Cora, tried to interfere but I told her that doing so would lead to suspicion." Her hand went out to her other side, and the young 'Charlotte' grasped it.

This was the moment that Emma caught on. "And you told Charlotte to take control of the castle, because it's her right as heir." She whispered.

Mother Jane nodded. Emma shifted the mirror to look at 'Charlotte'. Regina clapped a hand over her mouth as she took the teenager in: the image of her younger self.

"M-mother?" The girl's voice shook.

"Hadria, my child... You must travel with Snow and Emma. They will bring you home to me." Emma could see the tears in Regina's eyes.

"Yes, mother. We'll ride in the morning."

"Please do. I will see you soon, okay?"

"Yes, mother." Hadria smiled. "We must go. Emma is going to need to learn horse riding before we can leave."

Emma smiled into the mirror and snapped it shut. Just after her and Hadria left the chambers of Mother Jane, the young princess turned to her. "What's my mother like?"

Emma hesitated. "She's... Interesting. She unknowingly adopted the son I gave up, and she loves him a lot, even if she is kinda strict sometimes. It's understandable, from what I've hear about your grandmother. But she can be nice. She's really different lately, ever since I fell through the hat. She seems desperate to get us back, even if its just for Henry's sake. But now, with you accompanying us, she's doing it for her, and for you."

"So she's a good woman?"

"A very good woman." Emma smiled as they started walking.

"And I technically have a younger brother?"

"Uh, technically yeah."

Hadria smiled to herself as they walked along.

* * *

"Emma, look at you!" Snow smiled as she walked towards her daughter, dressed in a mix of leathers and riding clothes, her blonde hair plaited behind her. There was a sword on her left hip and her gun tucked into her right. She had on her usual brown knee length boots as she walked towards her best-friend-turned-mother.

Hadria walked next to her in riding clothes covered by a light blue coat, something she'd found in the closet of her room.

"Someone want to tell me why I'm carrying a sword for a riding lesson?"

"So that you find a comfortable position whilst carrying your defensive weapon." Snow answered, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. The woman was dressed in the clothes she'd worn on the run from Regina.

They walked into the stables and Snow couldn't help but be overcome with a feeling of guilt. This was where she'd seen Regina and Daniel kissing. This was where he'd died - no. Where he'd been murdered.

As Snow stepped into the middle, Emma shivered. "Are you cold?" 'Surely not, with all the leather layers.' She thought.

"No, just felt like someone walked over my grave." The blonde shrugged.

"Your grave?" Hadria asked, sounding worried.

"Don't worry, kid, it's just a phrase." The girl nodded and stepped up to a dark brown horse.

"This is Toffee Apple. She's my favourite. I would only ever ride her to the market if we were in need of food."

"And who's this one?" Emma stepped up to a pure white one.

"That's Maximus. He's never been tame with anyone. No one rides him because he bucks them off. He doesn't even like people stroking... Him..." Her sentence drifted off as Emma brought her hand up to the horse's neck and stroked fondly as Maximus whinnied happily. "Mother Jane said that a stable boy, many years ago, was the only person he's been tame for."

"I think he likes me." Emma laughed as he nosed her neck.

Snow stared and started speaking. "He was only tame for Daniel." This caught Emma's attention. "And Regina. Only those two. And now you, apparently."

"Daniel? Like, Regina's Daniel?" Her mother nodded. "Wow."

They brought three horses out, Snow on a slightly lighter one than 'Toffee Apple', and Hadria and Snow mounted easily, even if the latter hadn't ridden in nearly thirty years. Emma copied their movements, and mounted as if she'd done it a million times.

"This seems easy enough." Before either of her counterparts could instruct her on what to do, she'd started a quick trot around the field. She smiled as she sped up a little, and called out. "Would you look at that, I'm a natural!"

Snow and Hadria watched in awe as the blonde hastened up to a canter and then into a gallop. "This is kinda fun!" Shouted from down the field.

"Looks like we're leaving in the morning." Snow muttered.

* * *

"You rode Maximus?" Regina asked, disbelief evident in her voice and features as she lay down on her side in bed, holding the mirror in front of her.

Emma lay down too, both women holding the mirror in a manner that made it look like Regina was on the other side of her bed.

"Yeah. Hey, have you noticed how this whole mirror thing is kind of like Skype?"

"You rode Maximus?! He didn't try to buck you off?"

"Not once." Emma smiled.

Regina was taken aback not only by the notion of herself, the blonde and Daniel being the only ones to have Maximus be tame with them, but also by Emma's smile, and by the way it looked like she was in Regina's bed.

"Well then. That's interesting... You should get some sleep. You have a day's journey in the morning."

"You should sleep too. You don't look so great." Regina raised an eyebrow with a small smirk on her lips. "Who am I kidding? You always look great."

Emma made a move to close the compact. "Wait!" Regina said before she could. "Could you... Keep it open?"

The blonde seemed confused. "Why?" She mock-gasped. "You miss me!"

Regina blushed a little. "I just..."

"You miss me!" She repeated in a sing-song voice.

"Maybe a little." The brunette mumbled.

"Alright. I'll leave it open." Emma set the compact on its side on her bedside cabinet, folding it a little to help it stand. Regina did the same with her own. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."

Both women slept more peacefully than they ever had before.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, so, all we have so far is this old mirror."

"Have a look in my jewellery box, there might be something in there."

As Emma approached the jewellery box, resting on the nightstand, there seemed to be a faint purple glow coming from inside. She opened it and found that the glow was coming from a gold wedding band with small purple gems embedded around it. Her hand moved to pick it up and the closer it got, the brighter the glow.

"There's this... Ring thing. It's glowing. That means its magic, right?" Emma whispered, slightly in awe.

"Glowing? Glowing purple?" Regina seemed slightly confused.

"Yeah." The blonde held the ring up in front of the mirror for Regina to see.

"Oh... Oh my... Don't use that. I want you to bring that back. Find something else."

"Why can't I use it?"

"It's special. Just bring it through and find something else."

Emma took one of her necklaces off and thread the ring onto it. She then turned the mirror for Regina to see the box.

"That necklace there, with the locket pendant. That will work." Emma dropped the necklace into the pocket of a satchel hanging by her right hip.

"Okay, I'll contact you the next time we stop, probably for lunch."

"Have a safe journey, Emma. Come home in good health."

* * *

The bell of Mr Gold's pawn shop chimed as Regina walked in.

"Your Majesty. How can I be of assistance?"

"You remember the ring you gave me? The wedding band, with gems embedded?"

"Of course I do. The one to find your one true love, should they be out there."

"It glowed to Emma." She placed her hands on the glass of his 'desk'.

"Oh, how very interesting. Looks like she's your love then."

"But it's impossible. I'm her step-grandmother!"

"Not any more. Your husband died, did he not? And you're not related by blood. It's perfectly fine."

"I'm thrice her age!"

"In the years you've lived, yes, but in body you're only seven years her senior. Let it happen, Regina. This could be good for you, and for the son you share."

"Snow and Charming would never approve."

"Then our dear saviour must decide if she favours her love and her child over her parents, or the other way around."

Regina seemed to take a deep breath before she nodded, a gesture of acceptance of the fact that Emma was her true love. Love was something she never thought she'd find again, but with this new information... She'd fight for Emma if she needed to.

* * *

They rode at a gentle pace. As the sun reached the middle of the sky, Snow suggested they stop for lunch. They tied the horses to trees and settled down on the edge of the forest. Each woman pulled sandwiches from their satchels.

"Emma, you have a new ring on your necklace." Snow noticed. The glow had subsided by this time, but was still quite visible.

"Yeah, Regina asked me to bring it to her."

"Why is it glowing?" Hadria asked.

"No idea. Let's ask her." She pulled the mirror out.

"You're having lunch, I assume?"

"Yeah, listen, we were wondering why this ring I'm wearing is glowing? And I remember the closer I got to it, the more it glowed."

"Well, uh..." Regina seemed to hesitated. "That's something we should discuss alone when you get back."

The blonde shrugged. "Kay. So we have like half a day's travel left, do you want us to try and come through straight away or rest up first?"

"Straight away."

"Regina, can you tell James that I'm mad at him?" Snow piped up.

"Of course I can, but why?"

"Well he obviously knows that I'm here and he can talk through the mirror, and yet he hasn't tried."

"Of course. I'll let him know. You should get travelling. I'll see you soon." Regina disappeared before Emma could close the compact.

* * *

The three rooted through the small cottage that had once belonged to the Mad Hatter, searching for hats. Every hat they found was dumped on the floor of the kitchen. Eventually, Emma started rooting through them.

"This is the one!" She shouted, holding up a nearly pristine top hat.

"How do you know?" Snow asked as she came into the kitchen.

"I just do. This one is going to take us home."

"This is my home. It's going to take us to yours."

"Bottom line is that this is the hat that will take me back to Regina and Henry, and you back to James, and Hadria to her mother."

She cleared the room of all other hats and did exactly what Regina had done in Storybrooke: set it down on its top, and started trying to spin it.

"It needs magic, Emma."

The blonde turned to Hadria. "C'mere. If magic is inherited you might be able to get it to work, and we won't have to use the locket." The young girl stepped forward hesitantly and knelt in Emma's place, starting to spin it as instructed.

"It's not working." She said. "I don't have magic."

"Maybe that's a good thing." Snow whispered. "Magic is like a drug. You get addicted."

Emma pulled the necklace from her bag and span the hat, then dropped it in. The three stepped back as a purple vortex swirled from the hat's place.

"Everybody in!" Emma shouted as she held onto Hadria's hand, giving her a reassuring smile. They jumped and Snow followed.

Across the land, the gates of the castle closed silent a and all the staff froze in their places.

* * *

"Which door do you think it is?" Hadria asked, turning to look at all of them.

Emma did the same, and stopped. She stepped towards a light grey one, and the ring around her neck began to glow. "This one. This is a door in Regina's office."

"How do you know?" Snow asked. Emma gave her a look as if to say 'I've been in the room enough times.'

She reached for the handle and turned it, opening the door slowly. Inside was an empty mayoral office, and all three stepped through. The door closed behind Snow. The woman opened it and found a regular old closet with a few silk shirts and pencil skirts hanging up.

"If this isn't the right place, we're screwed."

Emma stepped up to the desk and picked up the phone, dialling Regina's mobile.

"Who is this and why are you calling from my office at two in the afternoon?"

"Regina, it's Emma! We're back! The portal brought us through your office!"

"You've been missing for two months! I haven't heard from you since you had lunch seven weeks ago! Get over to Granny's right god-damn now!" The older woman hung up and Emma turned to her mother and Hadria. "We've been gone for two months. We gotta get over to granny's." The blonde rushed out of the door and past Regina's secretary with the other two women at her heels.

Within minutes, they had arrived at Granny's and Emma burst through the door. Regina looked up at the sudden intrusion and stood, rushing over to the Sheriff.

Her arms wrapped around a neck as she felt strong arms around her waist. "I thought you'd died! I never thought I'd see you again!"

They held onto each other with all their might, as if letting go meant losing the other again. "I missed you." Emma mumbled as she watched her parents hug. "I missed you so much."

Regina started to pull away. "Henry will be wanting a hug from his mother." The blonde nodded and stepped towards Henry, pulling him into a tight hug.

"M-mother?" Hadria whispered, slightly in awe of the woman who stood in front of her.

"Oh, Hadria, my child." They hugged just as tightly, tears falling from their eyes. "My little girl."

The diner watched on as the put-together woman they knew as their Mayor cried as she held onto a teenager that looked remarkably like her. Emma watched the reunion with a smile, her arm around Henry.

"Hey, Emma, it's my birthday tomorrow." He piped up.

"Oh god, really? Good thing I bought your birthday gift long before the curse broke." She smirked down at him.

"Mother, you have a wonderful wife." Hadria smiled as they pulled out of the hug.

"Wife? Darling I'm not married." Regina looked at her daughter curiously.

"You mean, you and Emma aren't married? But you are together, correct?"

"No, incorrect. We're not together at all."

"But the way she talks about you is the way someone would talk about the person they love. I see it in her eyes."

Regina's mouth dropped open and she turned to look at Emma, who hadn't heard the conversation and just smiled warmly at the brunette.

"See, mother?"


	6. Chapter 6

"You have a beautiful home, mother." Hadria said as she walked into the mansion.

"The phrase people use here is 'mom'. It's much easier to say, and I find it's also more affectionate." Regina smiled at her daughter.

"Okay, mom." They shared smiles as Emma closed the front door behind herself and Henry, still wearing the leathers and sword.

"Let me show you to your room. You can borrow some of my clothes, too, we'll get you out of my old riding clothes."

"_Your_ riding clothes? I found these in my wardrobe a few years ago, and have been waiting to be big enough to wear them."

"Oh, you must have been in the room I had before I was married."

Regina led the girl up the stairs as Emma started for the kitchen. "Coffee, Regina?" She called.

"Yes, please!"

"So, Emma, is she technically my older sister?" Henry asked as Emma made him a hot chocolate.

"Yeah, kiddo."

"So are we kind of a family now? Cause you know… Mom kind of broke down a week after she last heard from you. I found her sobbing on the sofa."

"Wh- really?" She looked down at her son. "How do you know she wasn't crying about her daughter?"

"Cause she kept saying 'Emma, please come back to me.'

"Oh…" She sipped at her coffee.

"If y'ask me, I think you should kiss her when she comes back down."

'Spit-take' was the perfect term for what Emma did next. Luckily, she did it into the sink. "You think I should kiss your mom?!"

"Yeah. You obviously have a thing for each other. Maybe if you get together we can be a family."

Emma stared at him for a moment as she poured Regina's coffee. "You know what? I'm gonna do it. I'll kiss her. Right smack bang on the lips." She detached her sword from her hip and started pulling her leathers off to be left in her boots, black jeans and a puffy white long-sleeved tucked into them.

"You look like a prince… With really long hair."

She heard Regina start to descend the stairs, explaining things like cars to Hadria. Emma stepped purposefully out of the kitchen and saw that, while the older woman was in a white shirt and black pants, her daughter was wearing a pencil skirt and crimson silk shirt.

"Wow, you look… Just like your mother."

"I'm going to take Hadria shopping for her own clothes. You're very welcome to-" The Mayor's words were cut off by Emma's lips meeting her own. She brought her arms up around a slightly taller neck, hands burying in thick blonde hair, as strong arms wrapped around her waist. She kissed back eagerly.

After a few moments, Henry cleared his throat behind them and they pulled away a little. They shared a smile as they caught their breath, and then looked around to see both Henry and Hadria smiling at them.

"So… shopping?" Emma asked.

"Yes. But don't buy anything… You look handsome, and dare I say it, sexy."

"Eww, moms! Gross!"

The pair just kept smiling. "Come on. Shopping." The blonde spoke up.

"Oh, mom, I like this!" Hadria beamed as she held up a leather jacket similar to the one Emma had been wearing when she fell through the hat, only in black. The blonde laughed victoriously as Regina started to say no.

"Come on, Gina, she likes what she likes, and she likes my jackets!" She gave a thumbs up to the young woman and she turned to her mother to smile, a pleading look in her eyes.

Regina sighed. "Okay, okay. But you're not having a closet full, like Emma does. Just a few of them, okay?"

"Thank you!" The girl continued to pick out clothes – she seemed to be very interested in band t shirts, jeans, and sneakers.

"Looks like Emma has had an influence on you before I managed to."

"Oh, mother, don't get me wrong, I like the way you dress, this is just very comfortable."

"I understand, sweetheart."

"Hey, Ems, I hear that Hadria chick is Regina's daughter. That true? I mean, they do kind of look like each other." Red asked over the counter of Granny's that evening.

"Yeah, it's true. She's a good kid, and Regina seems really happy that she has her back. She's really been doting on her."

"Doesn't Henry feel left out?"

"No, Regina may be doting on her, but she makes sure to involve both me and Henry too."

"Now, I also hear that you two have been doing some smooching? That true?" Emma blushed suddenly. "Yes! I knew it would happen eventually!"

"Listen, Rubes, I gotta go. We're having this family dinner thing, and Regina wants me to stay the night."

"Oooh, get some, Ems! Get outta here!" She gave the blonde a playful shove on the shoulder to get her out of the diner.

"It's not like that!" Emma called as she walked backwards to the door.

"That's what she wants you to think!"

"So, Regina, we should talk." Emma mumbled as she climbed into the other woman's bed.

"What about?" She moved closer to the blonde as she got in.

"About where this is going, where _we're_ going. In this… relationship." Her arm instinctively went around the brunette's waist as they lay on their sides.

"Well, why don't you tell me what you want out of this? What you want to do."

"Well… I've never had a _real_ relationship before. I think what I'd really like is to take things slow, you know? Go on dates for a few months, then maybe I could move in or something, and then one day…"

"One day…?"

Emma shrugged. "We'll just see where this takes us. But I want to go slow, for sure."

"I'd like that too. Now, does going slow mean that we can't… you know?"

They both smirked. "I know someone who's longest relationship started with a one night stand, and they ended up married, so I'm pretty sure that it can't hurt." The blonde winked.

"Mm, good, cause seeing you in those leathers earlier, and then after you'd taken them off…" Regina purred against Emma's neck, then giggled a little.

"Henry said I looked like a prince with really long hair."

"Mm, you did indeed. Now get over here."


	7. Chapter 7

"Mom?" The young girl asked hesitantly, while the four – herself, Emma, Henry and Regina – had lunch at Granny's.

"Yes, Hadria, sweetie?"

"When people see me… They give me these horrible looks, as if they hate me, or are disgusted with me. Why?"

Regina took a deep breath. "Because you're my daughter. I don't exactly have the best reputation around here… Or anywhere, for that matter. They probably think you're going to turn out like me, or your grandmother."

"Why would turning out like you be a bad thing? You're a wonderful woman."

"But I wasn't for a long time, and you know that very well."

Ruby placed all four orders down – two grilled cheeses and two chicken salads.

"I'm afraid, sweetheart, that you'll just have to give them a look back and hope that they never bother you. And if they _do_ bother you, they'll have to deal with me." She offered a mischievous smirk to her daughter across from her, who laughed a little.

Emma's arm went around the back of the booth and it fell around Regina's shoulders as the bell chimed and she looked up to see her parents walking in. They both seemed completely confused as they looked at the pair of them.

The blonde cleared her throat awkwardly as she took a bite of her grilled cheese. Snow and James stepped up to the edge of the table.

"Good afternoon, Emma." James muttered. "Henry." He seemed to purposely ignore the fact that there were two Mills' there.

"Hey grandpa!"

"Afternoon, _James_. Aren't you going to say hello to Regina and Hadria?" Both mentioned women looked up at the prince.

He sighed as though he was a moody teenager that didn't want to. "Hello to both of you."

"Let's go sit down, James."

"No. What's going on here?" He gestured to Emma's arm around Regina's shoulders. "What's going on between you two?"

"What does it look like?" The blonde asked with a shrug.

"It looks like you two are… together, or something. And if you are, then I can't accept that."

"Then don't accept it, daddy-o." She sipped her coke. "Now, one question, your denial of acceptance is either because she's a woman or because she _used to be_ the evil queen. Which one is it?"

Regina noticed Henry awkwardly pushing his fries around his plate. "Emma, stop. You should be with your parents, your family."

"You _are_ my family."

"Emma, sweetheart, you can't seriously want to be with the woman who tried to kill me several times over, who is the reason that we didn't get to raise you." Snow pleaded.

"Now, that's where you're wrong." The blonde laughed dryly and then stopped suddenly, looking up at them with a slightly angry face. "Who're the people who put me in a wardrobe minutes after birth, that had me appear on the side of a freaking freeway – a dangerous place for a newborn baby to be, _by the way._"

"Emma, you have to understand-"

"No. You don't get to speak. If you can't accept that I actually have feelings for a person – forget who she is and was – that I have actual, genuine feelings past a one night stand or a single date, if you can't accept that she has feelings for me, if you can't accept that not only do we already share a child, but another has been added to this weird little family..." After raising her volume gradually, Emma seemed to calm suddenly, a determined look still on her face. "Then I can't accept you as family."

"Sweetie, you don't mean that. You'll come around, and you and Henry will come back to us." Snow seemed intent on convincing Emma that this was a bad idea.

Her daughter laughed dryly again. "You think I'm gonna take my son away from the woman who raised him? Are you crazy? I spent sixteen years going from home to home and he's had one solid one for eleven years. I'm not making him give that up. I'm also not leaving him, or Regina, or Hadria. So stop, _Snow._" Emma made a point of calling them by their names rather than mom or dad. "Because I'm not going anywhere, and you're making a fool of yourself by trying to make me. I may be your daughter, but I'm a grown woman."

There was silence for a few moments as Emma stared them down. "So… this is your decision? You're going to be with not just a woman, but _Regina_?"

"Yes, this is my decision and this is my family. Maybe if you showed any interest in being a part of it I might be a little calmer right now."

Snow sniffled and walked away, to the other end of the diner as she rubbed her eyes. James followed after giving Emma one last look, a chance to change her mind.

"Emma… Why would you give up your parents for me? For us?"

The blonde shrugged a little. "Because I've never had them. Having a parental family has never been important to me, because I've never had my real one and all the fake ones I had freaking sucked. I'm happier to stay right here and _be_ a parental family. They don't want you in theirs, I don't want them in ours."

Regina looked at Emma, sitting by her side, as if she was in awe of her. She then leaned in and turned the blonde's head to face her, pulling her in for a soft and tender kiss.

They pulled apart and Regina turned back to her plate with a small smile on her face. "I should tell you about that ring you brought back." Her head gestured to the gold band still hanging around Emma's neck.

"You should indeed."

"You remember the story in Henry's book, of a ring that Rumplestiltskin gave to James to find Snow? The closer he got, the more it would glow?" Emma nodded. "That's the one that Rumple gave me to find mine. After Daniel's death, I remained hopeful that maybe he'd been reincarnated or something. I realise now that I was young and foolish, and simply fell for the first person to show me any kindness. Of course that doesn't mean I never loved him… He just wasn't my true love."

"So who is?"

"Well, Emma… It glowed to you, when you found it in my chambers." She looked up to the younger woman sheepishly.

"Oh… So I'm…" Regina nodded slowly. "Huh… awesome." She went back to eating her grilled cheese and fries as if she hadn't just found her true love.

"That's all you have to say? 'Awesome'?"

"Well yeah. It is pretty awesome." The blonde leant in and pressed her lips against a soft cheek and then temple before smiling warmly, showing her acceptance of this fact. "I'm gonna say it even if you're not ready to. I know you're kind of complicated, so just know that I can happily wait for you to say it in return… I love you."

Regina gulped. It had been so long since she'd heard those words with any sincerity. "I… I…" She started to shake her head, trying to convey that she couldn't say it yet.

"It's okay. I can wait." Emma shoved a couple of fries into an open mouth and laughed. Henry and Hadria chuckled a little too as their brunette mother blushed a little and chewed on the fries.

"I can't believe her today." Emma muttered as she climbed into bed next to Regina, wrapping her arms around a bare waist.

"Well, good versus evil never ends with _everyone_ happy. Maybe they'll come around."

The blonde sighed. "Maybe. Not sure I care, though. All I want, all I need is you, Henry and Hadria."

"Are you saying that you want to be another mother to Hadria?"

"I'd love that. Now… can you tell me about her father?"

Her love took a deep breath. "He was a Lord in my court. One night, he cornered me and… and when I found I was pregnant I murdered him."

"I know how you feel."

"Oh, sure you do." The brunette muttered sarcastically.

"Henry's father… I didn't even know his name, I can't remember what his face even looked like. Everything is kind of hazy… The one thing I do remember is that we were in an alleyway, and there was this empty needle right next to me on the ground. I grabbed it, sucked some air into it… stabbed him in the carotid and deployed an air bubble into his blood stream."

The two held onto each other tightly, unable to stand the thought of the other being hurt in such a way.

"If we didn't get two fantastic kids out of it, I would wish that it had never happened to either of us. But we have Henry and we have Hadria and we can just go ahead and pretend that they don't have fathers, that they were miracle pregnancies or something." Regina muttered. Emma nodded slowly and kissed the top of her head.

"They're no one's children but our own." Emma added quietly.


End file.
